USS ''Torch'' was a

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

—heavily armed with guns and

carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main func ...

s—in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during the early years of the republic. She was built for service in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, but did not see service until the

Barbary Wars The Barbary Wars were a series of two wars fought by the United States, Sweden, and the Kingdom of Sicily against the Barbary states (including Tunis, Algiers, and Tripoli) of North Africa in the early 19th century. Sweden had been at war with ...

when she was sent with the American fleet to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

to force an end to piracy of American ships.

Purchased for the War of 1812

''Torch''—a

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

schooner purchased at

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, in 1814 and initially commanded by Lt. Wolcott Chauncey—formed part of the "flying squadron" slated to cruise the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

to wage war on British commerce towards the end of the

. However, the ratification of the

Treaty of Ghent The Treaty of Ghent () was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in ...

on 18 February 1815 terminated hostilities before the squadron, then forming at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, could get to sea to undertake wartime operations.

Assigned to the Barbary Wars

The kidnapping and piratical activities of the Algerians soon dispelled the hard-won peace which had so recently come to the United States. Only five days after hostilities with Great Britain ceased, the United States declared war on

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. Subsequently, a squadron under the command of Capt.

Stephen Decatur Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was an American naval officer and commodore. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County. His father, Stephen Decatur Sr., was a commodore in the Unite ...

, in ''Guerriere'', set sail from New York City on 20 May, bound for the Mediterranean. On 19 June, the Americans made landfall off

Cape Gata Cape Gata ( "cat cape", "falcon cape") is the south-eastern cape of the Akrotiri Peninsula on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located within the British Sovereign Base Areas, and is the southernmost point of the island. However, the ...

, Spain, and soon sighted ''Mashouda'', the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

flying the flag of Algerian Admiral Rais Hammida. Giving chase, the Yankee squadron heavily damaged the enemy ship—decapitating Hammida with a 32-pounder shot in the process—and forced her to surrender. The remainder of the squadron set out in search of other Algerian vessels while ''Mashouda'' was sent to

Cartagena, Spain Cartagena () is a Spanish city and a major naval station on the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Iberia. As of January 2018, it has a population of 218,943 inhabitants, being the region's second-largest municipality and the country's sixth-lar ...

under guard of ''Macedonian''. Off Cape Palos, Spain, this remainder spotted 22-gun brig ''Estido'' and bent on sail to make contact. The wily enemy, however, ran into shoal waters where the heavier American frigates feared to go for danger of running aground. ''Torch'', whose shallower draft permitted her to give chase, joined ''Epervier'', ''Spitfire'', and ''Spark'' in forcing ''Estido'' aground. The Americans took possession of the enemy

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

and 83 prisoners. The successful conclusion of the campaign to force the Algerians to abandon their piratical ways followed thereafter. ''Torch'' subsequently returned home to the United States and was sold on 3 April 1816.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Torch War of 1812 ships of the United States Barbary Wars American ships Schooners of the United States Navy 1814 ships